Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library

by Amanda Oliver Narrated by Eva Wilhelm

Overview

Who are libraries for, how have they evolved, and why do they fill so many roles in our society today?



Based on firsthand experiences from six years of professional work as a librarian in high-poverty neighborhoods of Washington, DC, as well as interviews and research, Overdue begins with Oliver's first day at an "unusual" branch: Northwest One.



Using her experience at this branch allows Oliver to highlight the national problems that have existed in libraries since they were founded: racism, segregation, and class inequalities. These age-old problems have evolved into police violence, the opioid epidemic, rampant houselessness, and lack of mental health care nationwide-all of which come to a head in public library spaces.



Can public librarians continue to play the many roles they are tasked with? Can American society sustain one of its most noble institutions?



Pushing against hundreds of years of stereotypes, romanticization, and discomfort with a call to reckoning, Overdue will change the way you think about libraries forever.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Amanda Oliver’s harrowing and moving tale is, among other things, an indictment of our country’s grotesquely inadequate social services. She demolishes whatever stereotypes we might carry of librarians and libraries." —Tom Lutz, award-winning author of The Kindness of Strangers

"Overdue paints a vivid and meticulously researched picture of American public libraries: not as utopias exempt from the inequality and violence in our country, but as real places that too often bear the brunt of them. Both a deeply personal cry of frustration and a boldly argued rallying cry, this book will change the way you think about libraries. It will, in all the best ways, make you want to fight: not just for more equitable libraries, but for a more equitable world." —Claire Comstock-Gay, author of Madame Clairvoyant's Guide to the Stars

“One part love letter, one part eulogy, Overdue tells the story of America’s public library system through the eyes of a young, idealistic librarian who has experienced both the best and worst of it. Amanda Oliver proves herself a vibrant new literary voice as she weaves her own deeply personal account with an unblinking look what the library was meant to be, and what it has become. This is a book for all book lovers.” —Reza Aslan, author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth 

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176260762
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/22/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos